17 Must-Haves for the Ultimate July 4th

For the crust:

1/2 vanilla bean
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
11 Digestive Biscuits, broken into pieces

For the filling:

6 cups blueberries (about 3 pints), divided
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon white granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest, divided
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup total raspberries and/or strawberries, sliced if large, for garnish

Make the crust:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Split the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds. In a small skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla bean seeds and salt. Let cool slightly.

lIn a food processor, blend graham crackers until finely ground. Add butter mixture and pulse until well combined. Press mixture into bottom and sides of pie pan. Bake until lightly browned, 12 to 14 minutes. Cool on a wire rack at least 30 minutes.

Make the filling:

Reserve 1/2 cup blueberries for garnish, set aside. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, heat the orange juice, 2/3 cup of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, and salt, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil and the sugar has dissolved. Add the remaining 5 1/2 cups blueberries. Stir in the cornstarch and bring to a low boil. Stir constantly, gently mashing the berries with the back of a spoon until broken down and thickened, 1 minute. Remove from heat and spoon into pie crust. If you have extra filling, save to enjoy over yogurt or ice cream. Let the filled pie cool for 15 minutes. Refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours or up to 1 day.

Finish the pie:

In a large bowl, beat the cream to very soft peaks. Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, and vanilla extract into the cream and beat until soft peaks return. Do not over beat. Spread whipped cream in center of pie, leaving a 1 inch border of visible blueberry filling. Top with reserved blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries in center of pie.